Tongue-support.



No. 852,837. PATENTBD MAY '7 1907.

I. L. HEGHT. TONGUE SUPPORT.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 6. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

JOSEPH L. HEOHT, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO DAVENPORT WAGON OOMPAN Y, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

TONGUE-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPE L. HEoHr, of Davenport, county of Scott, and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tongue-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wagon-tongue supports, designed to so sustain the tongue that while it may be tilted upward, it will be supported in a horizontal or substantially horizontal position, in order that the draft animals will be relieved of the neck weight.

The invention consists in combining with the tongue, two rigid supporting members or arms extending rearwardly and adapted, when the tongue is in a horizontal or substantially horizontal position, to underlie and contact with a fixed part of the wagon gear, for instance, the front axle whereby the tongue will be rigidly sustained in a horizontal position, and may be freely tilted upward for storage or other purposes.

In the preferred form of embodiment of my invention, the tongue-hounds themselves are extended rearwardly to form the supporting arms, and they are adapted'to contact with the under side of the axle when the tongue is in a horizontal position, and thereby give firm support to the same.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a top plan view of the front gear of a wagon, showing the tongue applied thereto and having my invention embodied there in. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevation on the line aa.

Referring to the drawings :The drawing represents the invention embodied in a metal wagon gear in which the axle is made from a length or section of I-beam; but the invention is applicable as well to gears of other forms and constructions. In these drawings, A represents the axle in the form of an I-beam with a vertical web and upper and lower longitudinal flanges.

B represents the front gear-hounds sus tained by the axle and extending forwardly of the same in the form of converging arms, and rearwardly of the same in the form of a loop as usual.

O represents a tongue having fixed to it near its rear end, tongue-hounds D in the form of angle bars fixed at their forward ends to the tongue, whence they extend rearwardly and outwardly along the inner faces of the converging arms of the gearhounds, to which they are pivotally connected on a horizontal transverse axis by means of a horizontal pivoting bolt F.

In embodying my invention in a construction of this type, the tongue-hounds are continued rearwardly of the pivoting bolt, in a downward curve as at G, and then for a short distance horizontally as at H and terminate at such a oint, that when the tongue is in a horizontal or substantially horizontal position, the upper faces of the horizontal terminal ortlons of the extended hounds will underlie and bear against the under side of the axle, in the resent case the lower flange of the same. e tongue-hounds extended in this manner and engaging the under side of the axle, constitute in effect two rigid su porting arms or members attached to t e tongue and adapted to bear against a fixed portion of the wagon gear, and by reason of the widely separated points at which the ends of the arms bear against the axle, the tongue will be given firm and even support. be observed that the strain due to the weight of the tongue, when thus supported will be received by the horizontal pivoting bolt and by the axle, and these oints being also widely separated in a longltudinal direction, the leverage is such that there will be no injurious strain on the arts.

Having thus descri ed my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with the front gear provided with the usual axle, a tongue pivotally connected with said gear, and two rigid arms fixed to the tongue and extending rearwardly and adapted, when the tongue is in a horizontal or substantially horizontal position, to bear against the under side of the axle.

2. In combination with the front gear including an axle, a tongue pivotally connected with said gear, and a pair of rigid tongue hounds carried by the tongue and extending downwardly and rearwardly from the latter and adapted when the tongue is in a horizontal or substantially horizontal position to engage beneath the axle.

3. In combination with the front gear in- It will Y cluding an axle, gear hounds supported above T the axle, atongue, and a pair of rigid tongue In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hounds carried thereby and pivoted to the hand this thirtieth day of October, 1906, in gear hounds, said tongue hounds being .exthe presence of two attesting Witnesses.

tended downwardly and rearwardly foren- JOSEPH L. HEOHT. 5 gagement beneath the axle to support the Witnesses:

tongue when in a horizontal or substantially M. LOUISE DODGE,

horizontal position. I LEON ZOEOKLER. 

